Violent Night - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

from our Blu-ray Review Earlier This Year

Not every film is a Christmas movie these days. But Violent Night is completely and unabashedly a Christmas film that not only delivers some magical and mysterious components of the folklore of Jolly Old Saint Nick, but also comes with explosions, blood and guts, and ultra-violence that can be a great time in the right frame of mind. With a fun cast led by David Harbour and some truly fun, bloody moments, Violent Night will satisfy the urges of most audiences despite some of its pacing issues.

Nobody has seen Santa Claus like this before as he is portrayed by the great Sheriff in Stranger Things David Harbour, where the night of Christmas Eve is upon everyone, he is seen drinking heavily at a bar and throwing up on civilians from above in his sleigh. The Christmas magic has been taken out of him, because like in Elf, people just don't believe in him anymore.

Meanwhile, at a prestigious estate with a wealthy family that hates each other led by the matriarch Beverly D'Angelo, a group of vicious and well-armed criminals descend upon this family's Christmas Eve and hold them hostage for a ransom of millions of dollars. There's nothing silent about this situation, but as its title suggests, it's extremely violent when things don't go as planned when Santa shows up to deliver presents and must take on the criminals himself as he fights his way through the large mansion to save people.

A story and script from Pat Casey and Josh Miller (the Sonic the Hedgehog movies) offer up some wonderful winks to those iconic '80s action films that might be considered a Christmas movie. There are loads of explosions, gun violence, and some witty lines of dialogue. There's even one amazing sequence where the main young girl in the film has just watched Home Alone and booby-traps the house as she saw in the film. But here, this movie has an extreme R rating, so one could imagine the hilarious entrails and blood that splash around when these villains encounter her makeshift traps. Sitting in the director's chair is Tommy Wirkola who is most known for his two fun zombie flicks Dead Snow and Dead Snow II.

Much like those two movies, the pacing can drag a bit in between the heavier action beats, which are no doubt high-octane and full of red liquid. But in Violent Night's almost two-hour run time, the story of the family issues and even some of Santa's past can be a bit uneven. There are some fun action moments, especially when Santa is getting beat up, but overcomes everyone with some blunt-force trauma each time. If the film kept its pace as it runs in the last 15 or so minutes, Violent Night would be the perfect action movie. Performances from everyone including a hammed-up John Leguizamo are entertaining and Harbour's performance as Santa is just the right amount of charm and brutality for this universe.

In the end, Violent Night has the potential to spawn sequels and become a big yearly phenomenon, so let's hope the bugs are worked out here and the next go-around sticks the landing a little better. Still, this film is a ton of fun.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Violent Night missle-toes its way to 4K + Blu-ray + Digital Code via Universal Pictures. Both discs are housed inside a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve with artwork that features David Harbour's face with a candy cane in his mouth. It's finally great to have this on 4K. There is an insert for a download code. 

Violent Night finally sleighs its way to 4K + Blu-ray + Digital Code via Universal in time for the holiday. The previous 1080p HD image looked great but was hindered in some areas due to its own HD limitations.

That has all been alleviated here in this brand new 4K presentation. The colors are bolder and more vibrant this time around. The Christmas colors are nuanced with more shades of green and red that mix well with the warmer tones inside the mansion, thanks to the HDR10 enhancement. The cold exterior is now a perfect shade of blue and purple that contrasts amazingly with those twinkling lights inside the house. Black levels are inkier and the skin tones are natural. Those blood-red colors of gore and entrails now are more dynamic as well.

The detail is bold and vivid with amazing closeups that reveal all of the scraggly beard hairs on Santa, the practical makeup effects, and gooey flesh wounds that look even better in this 4K image. Other facial features look great, along with the amazing furry and felt textures in costumes. The metallic weapons produce that metal shine and the wooden walls and ceilings look fantastic. Even the white snow outside is distinguishable. This is one excellent-looking 4K picture. 

This release comes with an upgraded Dolby Atmos track that sounds even better than the 7.1 option that was released last year. Each sound effect sounds mostly the same as the previous track but with some added fluidity in transitions and a bigger low end with bass. There are thousands of gun blasts in this movie, and each gunshot packs a strong kick to the face, complete with a hefty bass punch. It's fully immersive as the bullets fly around the soundscape, providing a wonderfully immersive experience. The height speakers really kick into gear with a ton of footsteps from higher stories and bullets raining down. Even Santa's sleigh and the reindeer have an exquisite sound from above as they fly through the night sky. This is a great, nuanced upgrade and a phenomenal-sounding Dolby Atmos track. 

There are only about 35 minutes of bonus materials included here, but all of it is quite fun and worth watching. The EPK-style features are too quick but offer some good insight, and the fun '90s sitcom intro is wonderful. The commentary track is also excellent. 

• Audio Commentary - The director, two writers, and producer Guy Danella all deliver a track together and all have a fun time laughing and discussing making the movie. There are easter eggs, behind-the-scenes info, and praise for the many actors and stunt workers. There are even some great anecdotes from the set. It's a fun listen.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 19 Mins.) - There are 9 scenes in total, which are worth the time. There is also a funny '90s-style sitcom intro that introduces every character of the movie with graphics. There's even an alternate ending.
• Quarrelin' Kringle (HD, 4 Mins.) - An EPK moment where the cast and Harbour talk about doing the stuntwork for the film.
• Santa's Helpers (HD, 6 Mins.) - Another EPK feature that has cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes, set design, costumes, and more. This is all too short to be anything substantial.
• Deck The Halls With Brawls (HD, 6 Mins.) - Another EPK-like feature that focuses on one of the big fight scenes of the movie that was filmed in one shot. Again, too short for anything fun, but good footage nonetheless.

Violent Night is a fun action Christmas movie that hits hard in all of the right places and is full of gory entertainment that should satisfy most. Its pacing is a bit off, but at the end of the day, David Harbour and company make this one hell of a sleigh ride. The new 4K image looks good enough and the Dolby Atmos audio mix sounds exquisite. The bonus features are worth the time but should be longer. If the holiday season is in full gear, then this release is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Order Your Copy of Violent Night on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

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